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Deicide
AN EPIC TALE OF BIBLICAL PROPORTIONS "Sitting in the war-rooms at Casa Diablo, my closest allies surrounded me. Could I trust them all?" Finally reunited with his love Charlotte, Michael has taken control of Hell. Yet the insane god Asmodeus still rules Heaven, and the division between realms continues to oppress the lost souls of the afterlife. With the help of his wife and friends, Michael's aim is to create true freedom for all, ending Asmodeus' tyrannous reign. However, the chance of betrayal by someone close within his fold weighs heavily on Michael's mind, as does the burning question that not even the all-knowing Perceptionist can answer: How do you kill the unkillable? Deicide is the stunning conclusion of Tim Hawken's Hellbound trilogy.
320 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 11, 2013
About the author
Tim Hawken
13 books60 followersTim’s first novel, Hellbound, was born while on the road, written on airplanes and in hotel rooms. The book was discovered on an online writer’s forum by Dangerous Little Books author CJ Werleman (God Hates You, Hate Him Back), who immediately recommended it to his publisher. Hellbound has since been followed by sequels, I Am Satan and Deicide.
Tim has gone on to win the AHWA ‘Flash Fiction’ Story of the Year twice (2013, 2020) and has been shortlisted for an Australian Shadows Award. He has recently contributed to best-selling books such as Dear Santa, Dear Dad, and Dear Mum, plus released a literary fiction novel under the pen name T.S. Hawken.
To get frequent updates about Tim and his work you can sign up to his newsletter on his website, or follow along on Instagram where he posts a 100-word, art-inspired story most days (@tim_hawken).
Tim has gone on to win the AHWA ‘Flash Fiction’ Story of the Year twice (2013, 2020) and has been shortlisted for an Australian Shadows Award. He has recently contributed to best-selling books such as Dear Santa, Dear Dad, and Dear Mum, plus released a literary fiction novel under the pen name T.S. Hawken.
To get frequent updates about Tim and his work you can sign up to his newsletter on his website, or follow along on Instagram where he posts a 100-word, art-inspired story most days (@tim_hawken).
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 11, 2022
Set in hell, this reads like an epic movie with amazing characters, twists and description. It's horrific, original and so gripping! Also very thought provoking and deep. The final book in this trilogy is fantastic ending to a mind blowing story that is amazing as it is deeply unnerving, sad, satisfying and everything you should have from a showdown of this magnitude!
February 7, 2014
Michael continues his battle against Asmodeus – not just through revenge but also to end the injustices that God has created and fix the flaws of his creation
But how does one fight someone who can predict your every move, someone who can see the future, some who will always be 2 steps ahead?
Only by being unpredictable. Only by trusting others. Only by not even knowing what you yourself are going to do next
But not knowing your own plans also means you do not realise what you have chosen to sacrifice…
This book is nearly impossible to review without giving away spoilers, while at the same time even a hint of spoilers would ruin some of the major issues of the book.
The world of this book continues the previous two books in the series with its complexity and nuance: the nature of hell, purgatory and heaven, of demons, of their sins and of the denizens of each realm is maintained and revealed with the same steady, well paced, well balanced skill. From the manipulating of the elements (the nature of magic) to the way the three realms are separated and the very nature of angels, demons and the powers that shape the world we have a huge world here with lots of elements that need to be carefully balanced and explained so the reader doesn’t get lost – and it really is well done. Not only over this book, but over all three books, each building on each other, revealing more and reinforcing what has already been learned: here we have some excellent development on the very nature of foresight, the core of the battle against Asmodeus and further display of just how very broken the current system is. This isn’t done in clumsy info dump – but through a lot of showing of injustices, of seeing people time and again caught in the clumsy simplicity of the system Asmodeus has created. Not out of malice – it’s far too simple to have the bad guy be just malicious – but out of complete lack of understanding and an overwhelming self-centredness.
What I particularly liked was seeing how the flaws of Asmodeus’s creation is reflected not just in Hell – where the flaws are writ large – but also in Heaven with the constant dual refrains maintained: deception and ego. The whole of creation is Asmodeus’s lie – not just a lie to everyone else, but to himself about what he has created – and his willingness to twist everything (certainly what people believe) to further elevate his ego. Even Heaven itself is hierarchical, constantly requiring people, driving people, to seek Asmodeus’s favour. It’s excellently presented because it is a continuation and development of the books that have preceded it, this world constantly being reinforced and unfolded before the reader without any inconsistency.
But with lots of questions. These books are never going to be easy reading. They beg lots of difficult questions about good and evil, truth and lies, authenticity and honesty and control. Even relatively minor elements in the book have vast questions attached – like the demonic angels, the avatars of sin; in theory evil but also inherently what they are, inherently honest avatars of their true natures. Or the furies, old powers with their own city – powerfully displaying the very wrongness of blanket condemnation without nuance or examination – a city of women who have been wronged and have sought to defend or avenge, condemned without any reasonable examination of their crimes.
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But how does one fight someone who can predict your every move, someone who can see the future, some who will always be 2 steps ahead?
Only by being unpredictable. Only by trusting others. Only by not even knowing what you yourself are going to do next
But not knowing your own plans also means you do not realise what you have chosen to sacrifice…
This book is nearly impossible to review without giving away spoilers, while at the same time even a hint of spoilers would ruin some of the major issues of the book.
The world of this book continues the previous two books in the series with its complexity and nuance: the nature of hell, purgatory and heaven, of demons, of their sins and of the denizens of each realm is maintained and revealed with the same steady, well paced, well balanced skill. From the manipulating of the elements (the nature of magic) to the way the three realms are separated and the very nature of angels, demons and the powers that shape the world we have a huge world here with lots of elements that need to be carefully balanced and explained so the reader doesn’t get lost – and it really is well done. Not only over this book, but over all three books, each building on each other, revealing more and reinforcing what has already been learned: here we have some excellent development on the very nature of foresight, the core of the battle against Asmodeus and further display of just how very broken the current system is. This isn’t done in clumsy info dump – but through a lot of showing of injustices, of seeing people time and again caught in the clumsy simplicity of the system Asmodeus has created. Not out of malice – it’s far too simple to have the bad guy be just malicious – but out of complete lack of understanding and an overwhelming self-centredness.
What I particularly liked was seeing how the flaws of Asmodeus’s creation is reflected not just in Hell – where the flaws are writ large – but also in Heaven with the constant dual refrains maintained: deception and ego. The whole of creation is Asmodeus’s lie – not just a lie to everyone else, but to himself about what he has created – and his willingness to twist everything (certainly what people believe) to further elevate his ego. Even Heaven itself is hierarchical, constantly requiring people, driving people, to seek Asmodeus’s favour. It’s excellently presented because it is a continuation and development of the books that have preceded it, this world constantly being reinforced and unfolded before the reader without any inconsistency.
But with lots of questions. These books are never going to be easy reading. They beg lots of difficult questions about good and evil, truth and lies, authenticity and honesty and control. Even relatively minor elements in the book have vast questions attached – like the demonic angels, the avatars of sin; in theory evil but also inherently what they are, inherently honest avatars of their true natures. Or the furies, old powers with their own city – powerfully displaying the very wrongness of blanket condemnation without nuance or examination – a city of women who have been wronged and have sought to defend or avenge, condemned without any reasonable examination of their crimes.
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August 5, 2015
To be fair, the Hellhound series is more of a 3.5 star read but Goodreads won't let me add a half star (sorry Tim). That's a great rating from me as I'm a harsh critic.
All three books were an action packed, highly enjoyable ride. Deicide wraps up the Hellhound story beautifully. You can't just read Hellbound or Hellbound and I am Satan. Once you've opened the Hellbound adventure, you're compelled to read all the way to the end with Deicide.
As far as the dark fantasy genre goes, the Hellbound series is highly original but not as dark as I expected / wanted it to be. So in that way, it felt slightly amateur and did let me down.
Having said that, Tim has proven himself to be a strong fantasy writer. All plot and fantasy elements were complete and woven together expertly. The world Tim has created in the spiritual dimensions of heaven, purgatory, earth and hell have been built with skill, to the point where belief is successfully suspended.
If this series collectively formed my debut novel as an author, I'd be proud. Congratulations to Tim Hawken and looking forward to reading more of your work.
All three books were an action packed, highly enjoyable ride. Deicide wraps up the Hellhound story beautifully. You can't just read Hellbound or Hellbound and I am Satan. Once you've opened the Hellbound adventure, you're compelled to read all the way to the end with Deicide.
As far as the dark fantasy genre goes, the Hellbound series is highly original but not as dark as I expected / wanted it to be. So in that way, it felt slightly amateur and did let me down.
Having said that, Tim has proven himself to be a strong fantasy writer. All plot and fantasy elements were complete and woven together expertly. The world Tim has created in the spiritual dimensions of heaven, purgatory, earth and hell have been built with skill, to the point where belief is successfully suspended.
If this series collectively formed my debut novel as an author, I'd be proud. Congratulations to Tim Hawken and looking forward to reading more of your work.
August 26, 2016
Katharine is a judge for the Aurealis Awards. This review is the personal opinion of Katharine herself, and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of any judging panel, the judging coordinator or the Aurealis Awards management team.
December 18, 2013
Fantastic conclusion to a great trilogy. Highly recommended.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews